Over 30 students from a school at Tiruvottiyur in Tamil Nadu's Chennai were admitted to the hospital on Friday after experiencing uneasiness and throat irritation, reportedly due to a gas leak. The incident caused panic among students and school authorities. All the affected students are safe and are receiving medical treatment, officials told news agency ANI.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) commander AK Chauhan said, "As of now, I cannot tell the exact cause." He added," We are yet to ascertain the exact cause. Our team came and assessed the situation, everything was normal, and we did not smell any gas or leakage from the AC."
"Some of us had to rush out of the classroom to get fresh air. Even our teachers had experienced difficulty in breathing. A few students even fainted and our teachers revived them," a student later said, and added that she felt nausea.
As many students complained of uneasiness, the management had to call ambulances and rushed the pupils to hospital. Parents who turned up at the school, too, admitted their children to a government hospital where many were treated as outpatients.
Police said it was not clear if the leak occurred from the school or emanated from the vicinity where a chemical factory was situated.
The condition of three students admitted to the Stanley Government Medical College Hospital here was said to be stable, police said and added that nearly 30 students complained of uneasiness and throat irritation.
Meanwhile, parents of affected children accused school authorities of not providing clear information about the situation.
"The school administration is not providing clear information. My child is still under hospital observation. She had throat irritation for the past three days, which we thought was minor, but today they admitted her," one parent said.
Local police rushed to the scene and are investigating the source of the leak while monitoring the situation to prevent further risks. Forensic experts and officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) have also arrived at the site.
